


Hammocks and heights

by putputpotato



Series: Chilling adventures of the Stray Kids coven [2]
Category: NCT (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Chan is a necromancer, Comedy, Demons, Familiars, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Felix is a white witch, Fluff, Hyunjin is a greenwitch, I Love You, I will miss you woojin, Jeongin is a demonologist, Jisung is a dog, Jisung is a familiar spirit, Love, M/M, Magic, Minho is an animalist and a werewolf, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, References to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Seungmin is a necromancer, Witches, Woojin is a greenwitch, but you´re always with us and we´re always with you, everyone has such cool powers, just kidding, or at least heavily inspired by it, stray kids are a coven, woochan are cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 01:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/putputpotato/pseuds/putputpotato
Summary: A mysterious enemy is spreading bale across the village and the woods. Chan and Woojin, in the delightful company of the Moon-coven, head out to face the dangerous fellow that seems to have set a whole horde of demons free.They expected danger, blood and darkness.What they didn´t expect was an eighteen year old boy with braces, right from the future.Good thing the Kim coven is so flexible.





	Hammocks and heights

**Author's Note:**

> I had this almost finished, when I heard the news about Woojin and I wanted to take a moment to tell everyone that I´m so sorry this happened. I really hope that whatever caused this decision to be made is in Woojin´s favour entirely. I will always miss him, but he will always be a part of Stray Kids to me. Always part of this universe. Always my Stray Kids bias. Always one of the most beautiful voices I´ve ever heard on this earth. 
> 
> Woojinnie, this is for you. We love you and I hope you find happiness in whatever path you decide to take. I will always support you <3

Somewhere in the distance, the bell of the village-church sounds, declaring it to be exactly three p.m. in the afternoon. The village is filled with busy people and laughing kids, seemingly everyone has gathered around the main plaza today. Chan grabs a hold of Woojin's hand and pulls him across the plaza and past the huge fountain in the middle of it. Woojin easily follows with a gentle smile on his lips. While Chan isn't necessarily fond of public events or big crowds, Woojin always seems to be right in his element. Chan remembers that, when Woojin sold his teas and herbs at the last village market, all the interaction with other villagers had made him glow. A different kind of magic.

"You think they'll agree to go with us, on such a nice day?" Woojin asks.

Chan pouts his lips, "They'll have to understand the urgency of the situation, I think. It is their trouble as much as it's ours."

"Good point." Woojin nods, "I just know that Taeyong loves meeting up with the children around town on Fridays. They always sing and craft little flower crowns. Very wholesome."

"Worst comes to worst, we still have Taeil." Chan laughs to himself, "That guy probably leaves his house as much as Minho does, but he does not have a contract that forces him to stay."

"It's a nice house." Woojin shrugs.

Chan stops to look at him for a moment, adoration shining bright in his eyes. Then, he says: "Yeah, but ours is better."

Grinning, Woojin pulls him closer by the waist and plants a sweet kiss on Chan's temple, before pulling him further down the street. They pass a bunch of shops, bakeries and simple apartment houses, until a big shield comes into view. It's wooden and huge, wearing the signs of time and all kinds of different weather. Yet, the faded lettering still clearly spells out: 'Moon's pharmacy. The front is overgrown with all kinds of wild plants and Chan has to pull Woojin away with a giggle, before the man can get too invested in the different kinds.

They push into the pharmacy, a sweet, little bell telling of their arrival. The shop is tiny, but not suffocating. Just big enough to be comfortable and have enough room to walk around. All of the walls are lined with shelves of different kinds of teas, ingredients, ointments, liquids and other ominous sorts of treatments. Were it any other day, the two could probably spend hours here. However, from the general look of things, that will have to be postponed.

There is a tiny wooden counter at the back of the shop and Chan finds Mark Lee pondering over what seems to be a ton of schoolwork. When a young lady walks up to him, to buy a special relaxation tea, he lends her all of his attention with a friendly smile. Chan tries to imagine Hyunjin, Felix or Seungmin sitting in his spot and he has to laugh. Seungmin would probably be too tempted by all of the ingredients around him, to keep his fingers off them. Felix would start whining about how bored he is, after ten minutes at best. Hyunjin... Hyunjin would probably burn up the place by accident. They might be a promising generation of witches, however that doesn't make them competent salesmen.

The lady thanks Mark with a nod and wishes him a nice weekend, before exiting the shop. It leaves Woojin and Chan as the only other people and Mark's attention quickly falls on them. His eyes widen, as he recognizes them.

Bowing with an excited grin, he runs towards the door behind the counter and calls through: Taeil! Taeyong! It's the Kim Coven!"

Somewhere from the back, Chan can definitely recognize Taeyong's voice asking: "Doyoung?"

"No", Mark gives the two an apologetic look, "The other one!"

In the next moment, Lee Taeyong's handsome face appears in the doorway. The endless amounts of jewellery on his limbs jingle happily, as he walks over to them, "So sweet to have you here again. Although, I'm afraid you didn't just stop by to buy hand cream."

"You know why we're here?" Woojin asks.

Taeyong pats him on the shoulder, "Dear, your Minho isn't the only one with a third eye in this village. Come along."

They hurriedly walk after Taeyong and through the door in the back. Just like the shop in the front, the whole house is built in a tiny fashion. It's the complete opposite of their own, wide mansion out of the village. This has been squished comfortably between two other houses and usually wouldn't be able to harbour more than two people. However, thanks to their very talented architect, Yuta, the Lee Coven is now perfectly housed in a tiny tower. While it seems to only be a tiny two-story house to the outside, there are a total of 20 accessible stories in the whole house. Luckily, Taeyong only takes them to the third floor.

It's their living room, filled with all kinds of books and containers that harbour strange creatures or other ominous things. The ambient is much like their own house, but Minho would murder all of them, if it ever happened to get so chaotic. Everything seems to be anywhere, except in its place. Taeyong, however doesn't seem to have a problem with any of it; sidestepping shoes, books, plants and even a snake in his way.

"Donghyuck, take Koji back to your room, someone will step on her!" He calls, loud enough for Chan and Woojin to pull their shoulders up.

Taeil is already there, seated at a huge, round table and leaning over a couple of tarot cards. On Taeil's shoulder, a dark-feathered crow scrutinizes all of them, which Chan knows to be the witch's familiar. At the presence of the other spirits, he feels Kyu tug away at his chest. Currently, she's hidden away carefully within his soul, but he can tell how much she wants to play. So, he snaps his finger decently and lets a shadow trail from his sleeve. A tingling sensation goes through his body and in the blink of an eye, Kyu is circling his and Woojin's legs with a happy meow.

"We were awaiting you." Taeil greets them with a gentle smile, "I was hoping to see you again on less urgent terms. How is Seungmin?"

Chan sits down at the table, tugging Woojin down with him, "It feels like we're making progress, but his walls are fragile. Your potion used to be very effective, but we noticed that his body seems to accommodate to it too much, the stronger he gets. Not sure why that is, though."

"I'm assuming it's because the souls, caught up in Seungmin's own soul are getting stronger with him." Taeil says with a frown, "While he can use their powers, if they are willing to corporate, a case of conflict might bring bizarre and painful consequences. Next time, we should try a spell, instead of a potion, perhaps then we can get to the bottom of the problem more directly."

"I still think you should give an exorcism a try." Taeyong murmurs, obviously tired of repeating himself.

Woojin tilts his head, "Exorcize? I thought we're talking about souls."

"Chan mentioned that they were all dead, when they got attached to the boy's soul." Taeyong says, "That means, essentially, they're not just souls; they're ghosts."

"Ghosts can be exorcised." Chan explains with a nod.

"We'll take time to figure this out, but I'm afraid, right now there are more pressing worries." Taeil decides, placing the last tarot card on the table, "One problem at a time."

Taeyong places his hands on the table, "I assume, you two felt the effects of it too, yes?"

"A demonologist." Chan nods, "Powerful, no doubt, but I feel like they don't have any control over the creatures they're dealing with."

"That only makes them more dangerous." Chan, Taeyong and Woojin whip their heads around.

The doorway is occupied, by a tall man, with dark hair hanging deep into his eyes. A tarantula crawls around on his chest, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. Chan narrows his eyes at the man; Johnny Seo, the village's only demonologist. Somehow, he just can't really take the vibe demonologists give off. While Chan deals with the regular darkness, – the beauty of it – people like Johnny have the twisted kind of darkness in their hands. Despite himself, Chan never knows how to feel about that.

"You think you'll be able to find them?" Woojin asks.

For a short moment, Johnny only eyes them with an unreadable expression, then he nods. He asks for a map of the woods, including the village and the main street. Spreading the map on the tabletop, his eyes travel the tiny drawings of trees and houses like a snake looking for prey. From the doorway, Chan spots Mark, Donghyuck and Renjun curiously craning their necks, to get a glimpse of what is going on. Taeil gives them a stern look and with a swift jerk of his wrist, the door bangs shut in their faces. Chan has to hold back a laugh at that.

Meanwhile, Johnny has collected four candles from around the messy place and situated each of them at a corner of the map. Chan tries not to seem too curious. However, he has always liked watching other kinds of magic. It's enticing and new, seeing Woojin make the flowers in his small plant house grow just by a few spells. It's sweet to see Felix heal the wounds of animals, he finds in the woods. Satan knows, he always liked watching Minho communicate with the bears and wolfs in the woods. It's nice getting out of your own drawer sometimes.

Johnny's hands are huge, as he stretches them across the map and closes his eyes. His lips form words in an ancient language that Chan doesn't understand. Only a few keywords, familiar to every necromancer pick his attention; Guidance, contract, obey. They room grows darker and with wide eyes, Chan sees the sky outside turn into deep night. The remaining candles pan out under the pressing of an urgent wind. Only the four candles on the table remain lit.

Then, when Johnny's mumbling turns into an inhuman growling, it finally happens: The map around the candles starts to burn at the edges. It's a mere glimmer, but it eats the material up, like a hungry animal. Square after square turns into smoke, until only a small patch is left and the glimmer disappears. The candles go out, Johnny's words stop and the sky outside turns back into its soft, white brightness.

As the demonologist pulls back his hands and opens his eyes, Chan notices how shaken he is. His fingers had started gripping the edges of his seat and he feels himself shiver every now and then. He isn't the only one either; Taeyong and Woojin seem a little out of it as well. Only Taeil seems unbothered by the happenings, his attention already directed on the small, burned piece of map. It makes sense: Demonologists and white witches are like polar opposites and, considering how powerful Taeil is, he must have had more than enough magic to keep him safe from the dark energy of Johnny's summoning.

"There." Johnny puts his index on the leftover map.

Taeyong tilts his head, "What is there?"

"The graveyard." Chan nods to himself, "Of course, that seems logical."

Johnny says: "Yes, in retrospect we could have guessed it. Meta-beings attract demons like nothing else and where do you find more ghosts than on a graveyard?"

"They attract demons?" Woojin asks.

"Demons feed on souls. That's why they make contracts and ask for souls as payment." Chan explains, "Nothing is better than a soul that can't even run away. Easy prey."

"And where the demons are-"

"The demonologist isn't far off." Chan practically jumps from his chair, "We should get going, before it's too late."

"Sit down." Taeil demands. Chan doesn't even dare to talk back, the authority of the older witch practically pushing him back down on his seat, "We'll go when it's dark. That way, we won't get any villagers or curious children involved. Besides, since no one knows what we're dealing with, we should consider a couple of protection spells."

Chan remains silent, but Woojin speaks for them both: "Sounds like a plan. We'll go when night comes."

\--*--

True to their words, the group sets out, as soon as the last remaining villagers have disappeared into their houses. There is a thick blanket of clouds in the sky, covering the moon and stars. It's literally the blackest night possible. Chan has his hand in Woojin's, the green witch walking ahead of them, with a flame dancing on his palm. Next to them, Taeyong, as the only Animist among them, walks with an endless swarm of fireflies illuminating his path. Taeil holds a thick stick with a glowing crystal grown into the tip and Johnny's eyes glow red in the dark, seeing what they never could without their magic.

They must make a picture to everyone walking by and Chan realizes why Taeil had been so insistent on waiting for the night's protecting cover. He was always more fond of the night anyways, but the absence of the moon seems to weight down on his powers. His and Taeil's powers, although no one would ever suspect it, with the way the white witch carries himself.

Johnny seems to blaze with the absolute darkness and Chan feels himself shudder at that. One that pulls his hope and power from desperation and suffocating gloom, has to have some kind of complex, no? He wonders what Johnny was like, before he joined Taeil's and Taeyong's coven.

"There." Woojin mumbles and Chan feels his hand tighten around his own.

Beyond a low stone fence, the first couple of crooked gravestones appear. It's a tiny graveyard, for a tiny village and within a few minutes, they have reached the middle of it. There is a huge mausoleum, surrounded by an open space. The name of the village's founder glistens on a golden board at their feet. A powerful angel guards above the entrance, sword and shield in hands and there is a big pentagram edged into the shield. Chan steps a bit closer, Woojin's fire now illuminating the wooden door of the mausoleum more closely. Someone had hung a cross on the front.

Now, it's turned upside down, held up by nothing but the pure evil that Chan can practically feel in the air.

"Cute." Johnny laughs, tipping the cross back in place with his index. Then, he pushes at the door and it creaks open, "Not so cute."

This very door hasn't been opened in over a century. The people had built the mausoleum with a mechanism that would lock the door from the inside. No one ever managed to push it open, not even curious archaeologists or greedy grave robbers.

Chan feels a familiar cold wash over him, creeping down his neck and back and deeply into his chest. He feels them everywhere around him and it's comforting and frightening at the same time. Ghosts can be unpredictable. One wrong step and even the strictest law of the world can be turned around. Everything and everyone can go to hell. Seungmin is the best and worst example for that. So, he does the first thing he ever does and calms them, with a spell. Voices fill his head, some empty, some sad and occasionally some aggressive. But he doesn't let them rattle his concentration.

"It's here." he says, his eyes turning distant. If he were to look at himself now, he would find familiar, black grave soil spreading on his face, eating through his skin and his being. But he knows how to control it. As long as he isn't angry, everything is safe, "They're sending us in there."

"Are you sure?" Taeil asks and Chan nods.

"They're being tormented." He whispers and Woojin's hand comes up to tangle in his hair for comfort, "It's like the demons are playing with their food."

Through blurry eyes, he watches Taeil, Taeyong and Johnny head for the mausoleum. He finds it's hard to move. The crying and howling of all those souls has his heart heavy and his body cold. The tear that escapes him drips onto the grave soil on his face, soaking the spot like watered grave flowers. But he doesn't get to dive into the feeling, as a warm hand cups his face and a soft voice guides him back to his own dimension. Woojin's eyes are worried, but he still manages a smile.

"You with me?" he whispers.

Satan, what would he do without this man? "I'm here." he manages a smile and feels the darkness retreat, his body heating up again, "All good. Let's go."

Nodding, Woojin takes his hand again and pulls him after the other three witches. The fire in his hand dances against the walls of the mausoleum and Chan can immediately feel the change in the shadows around them. Outside, the darkness had been mourning, sadness, past and afterlife. This? Chan wants to throw up. This is just murderous and cruel sadism. He really hates demons with a passion.

"Nothing here." Taeyong's voice echoes against the marble walls. It sounds calm, but the way his fireflies buzz nervously gives his tension away.

"They must have come in here and left again." Johnny says. He's glowing with the aura around the place and Chan really doesn't know what to think about that.

Chan reaches his invisible fingers out, feeling through the air. He directs his attention towards the coffin that has been placed on a high table in the middle of the mausoleum. It's shiny wood and looks completely untouched, but there is something fishy about what he feels there. This doesn't feel like the caught and lost soul he expected. Neither does it have any traces of death about it.

"Or they're still here." he mutters and walks over to the coffin.

His palm comes in contact with the surface. If he had doubted that something about it was strange before, he has nothing to doubt anymore by now. Stepping back a little, he stretches his hands out and concentrates. The lid of the coffin shakes a little under his will and then, it slides off the bottom like a piece of paper.

He could have never prepared for what follows.

"Step back! I have the power of anime and a couple of demons (whose names I forgot) on my side!" The screeching, high voice belongs to a tiny boy. Tiny, not even being an exaggeration. He must be even younger than Seungmin or Renjun. His eyes are wide and frightened and his teeth bared, showing glistening braces in his mouth.

"Demons?" Johnny asks seriously.

"What is anime?" Taeil frowns.

Taeyong rolls his eyes and pats his husband on the shoulder, "You're getting old Taeil. It's those cartoons that Mark is so into."

"That human stuff?"

"I think it's a Japanese thing." Woojin chirps in, "Felix likes them too. His favourite is travel moon."

"Sailor moon." Chan corrects.

"HellO!" The boy in the coffin shouts, "I'm still here?!"

Chan eyes the boy carefully, "We're looking for a demonologist. Have you perhaps seen something strange around here?"

"Aren't you curious why the hell I was in that coffin? Or how I got in?"

"No." The necromancer drops the coffin cover on the floor of the mausoleum, "Now, answer my question."

The boy rolls his eyes, "Well, duh, I AM the demonologist."

Chan's eyebrows shoot up, "Take him."

All of the witches around him raise their hands and seconds later, the boy is floating through the air. He struggles against the invisible bonds of his opponents. But, it does little, with four of the most experienced witches Chan has ever known, involved. They carry him across the coffin and out of the mausoleum, Chan levitating the cover back on top of it. When they're outside he makes sure to lock the door and have a stone press against it from the inside. If any of the villagers found out that someone had been in their mausoleum, they would probably freak out.

"Let me down!" The boy screeches.

"Why should we?" Woojin asks, voice low, "You threatened Chan."

Above them, the boy slowly levitates in a somersault, his eyes pleading, "With anime! It wasn't serious. I just wanted to scare you away. Plus, I thought you were someone else."

"Who exactly?" Taeil asks.

"Uh, about that." An embarrassed laugh breaks through the boy's lips, "I was actually hiding in that coffin. Not the best idea, since now my clothes smell like literal death."

"Hiding?" Johnny steps forward, poking the boy in the forehead, so he levitates the somersault backwards, "From whom?"

Once the boy reaches a stage, where his feet are up in the air and his head down, he answers: "A very unkind fellow. He was the one that got me here."

"Speaking of which", Taeyong puts a hand on his hip, "Where the hell did you come from? You practically appeared on our radar out of nowhere. And on top of that, all the traces you left were some kind of chaos."

"It's a long story, but you should trust me, when I tell you that we should get out of here ten minutes ago. Satan knows there's no running, if he shows up." The boy hurries to say.

He's tumbling over his own words, obviously nervous about whoever had caused him to hide away in a mausoleum. That means there is still someone out there. Someone they might need to fear a lot more than this tiny witch, levitating above their heads. Chan meets Woojin's eye and the green witch sends him a look that tells Chan he's having similar thoughts.

"Who is 'he'?" Taeil questions.

"The brother of the cousin of the wife of Satan’s grandson or something."

Johnny lifts a brow and his eyes darken, "A demon?" The boy nods, as best as he can upside down, "What's his name?"

"Azazel." His voice shakes a little as it forms the letters.

Chan rakes his brain for it, but there is nothing he could connect to it. He has never heard, read or been told about a demon named Azazel. Johnny however seems more familiar with it, because his shoulders tense considerably. Taeyong notices it too and places a worrying hand on his friend's shoulder. The demonologist whips his eyes up at Taeyong, as if ripped from a trance and covers his hand with his own. Then, after taking a deep breath, he gently pries the green witch's hand off and faces the rest of the group.

"Take the kid home. Don't let him go out, until the sun comes up again and... If you can help it, don't go outside yourself either." He instructs, "I'll catch up to you guys later."

"What will you do?" Taeyong asks. Chan shares the worry that is spread over his face.

"I'm cleaning up." Johnny says, then he nods towards the direction of Moon's pharmacy, "Go. And don't let him talk to anyone but you."

Chan sees the hesitation on Taeil's face. If he decided to, he could still tell Johnny to come with them and not set out into the night, with little, to no explanation. The benefits of being a coven leader. However, Taeil has always had more blind faith in his coven members than Woojin, so he gives in after a while of contemplation. The group wanders back to the pharmacy, the boy still scrambling around in the air, like a fish on land. When they're crossing the graveyard-entrance, Chan throws a quick glance back over his shoulder. Johnny is gone and the shadows of the woods and gravestones seem deeper and darker than usual.

He hurries after the others, grasping Woojin's hand for support. It's a quiet and tense walk. Not even their captive dares to open his mouth, until they finally step into the safety of the Moon-coven residence. Once the door closes behind them, a collective sigh of relief brushes through the witches and they allow themselves to relax. It causes the boy to fall on the ground with a squeak, but everyone is still too tense to care.

"What is that?" They all look up to find Donghyuck, with his lip curled and Koji around his shoulders. He stands in the doorway behind the counter and his eyes are pinned on their newcomer in distaste.

"Donghyuck, this is..." Taeyong trails off, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Jeongin." The boy finally adds, "And I'm not an 'it'."

"Sorry, could have mistaken you for a stray dog." Donghyuck gives him a poisonous smile, "Is that grave dirt on your cheek? The colour suits you."

Taeil huffs, "Hyuck go back into your room. I'll deal with your attitude tomorrow."

"Of course father figure." Donghyuck says and turns around in the doorway, climbing the steps to his room.

"Now", Taeil points his finger at Jeongin next, "you have ten seconds to explain where the hell you came from, what the hell you're doing here and who the hell you are."

"MynameisYangJeongin,I'mfromthefutureandiamherebyaccident."

The room goes silent for a moment, until Woojin finally finds his voice again first: "...What."

"You said ten seconds!" Jeongin whines, "I was stressed."

"You're from the future?" Chan asks, eyebrows high beneath his bangs.

"Jup, exactly", he looks at a little watch on his wrist that seems to show him everything, except the current time, "48 years, 2 months, 15 days and... 20 hours from now."

"Hold on, you're from 2067?" Taeyong gasps.

Jeongin nods, "But like I said: big, chaotic and reeky accident. That guy Azazel? I had him take me back to Salem, to save some of our people. He got whiff of my plan to play him for a sucker and tricked me, before I could trick him. Now I'm... somewhere. Or some when."

Taeil lifts a hand to rub his nose bridge in agony, "How old are you, kid? Your soul."

"I'm eighteen."

A collective gasp goes through the group and Taeil nods, "That's what I was thinking. Who would send a child, to take care of a massacre like Salem?"

"Actually, it was my idea." Jeongin admits.

"Yeah, do you wanna know what I think about your idea?"

Taeil is about to continue speaking, when Taeyong places a hand on his chest. He shakes his head and the coven leader's shoulders drop with a huff. Chan has to smile at the assertiveness Taeyong has, when it comes to his husband, despite being such a gentle soul from the core. He reminds him of Felix in that way.

"How will you get back?" Taeyong then asks what had been sitting in the back of all their heads.

For the first time, Jeongin's wide grin dims a little. He seems unsure where to look for a moment and his hands start to fidget, "Probably not at all. Azazel was my ticket back, but if I were to make a deal with him now, there would only be bad things coming from that."

Chan has to hand it to Taeyong; he is a lot more patient than most people would be in his situation, "I guess that means we'll have to organize you a place to stay. For now, you're welcome to house with us, but I'm afraid that won't be a long-term solution."

"I'd appreciate that." Jeongin says, his voice sheepish, "If it's not too much of a bother."

Taeil brushes past him then, "Just be careful of Donghyuck and Renjun. They have a dark sense of humour sometimes."

When Taeyong sees the terrified look on Jeongin's face, he laughs and pats his shoulder, "Don't listen to him, he's exaggerating. You only have to look out for Donghyuck, Renjun is fine."

He offers Jeongin to show him to Mark's room, where he can stay for the night. His offer is taken with a grateful bow and a wide, braced smile. Chan has to smile, when he sees the young boy. Eighteen. Unbelievable that a witch of such young age had managed to travel through time, all the way to their little village. It feels oddly like fate. While Minho would scoff at him for a though like that, Chan likes to imagine that they found Jeongin for a reason. Or rather, he found them.

"You're very welcome to stay as well." Taeyong says, "Yuta is currently on a job excursion for a few days, so his room is vacant."

Woojin nods his thanks, "Perhaps it would be better to not leave the house for the night. Thanks a lot."

Nodding with a sweet smile, Taeyong leaves them to tend for themselves and show Jeongin upstairs. Chan lets Woojin pull him to Yuta's room and inside, they shuffle on the bed together. It's a little like playing Tetris, with the tiny space. After ten minutes of elbows and knees in all kinds of unpleasant places, they finally manage to entangle in a way that both of them deem as comfortable enough. Breathing in Woojin's scent, Chan lets himself relax against the older witch. Once he feels Woojin's rough hands start to stroke his hair, he hums happily.

"Don't think I didn't notice." Woojin murmurs.

"Huh?"

"The way you looked at that kid." The green witch explains, "you wore the same face you had, when we first met Seungmin. It's like you wanted to scoop him up in your arms and feed him with a baby spoon."

Chan snorts and hits Woojin's chest, "Shut up. I don't have a face like that."

Woojin chuckles, barely reacting to the assault against his ribs, "You know, I considered it too. Since he seems to pretty much be stuck."

"It must be horrible to suddenly be in a completely different world, all on your own." Chan whispers into Woojin's neck, "I can't even imagine it, and the kid is just eighteen."

"Yeah, poor boy."

"I think that we could be a good family to him. Plus, our coven lacks a demonologist anyways, so he would not just be a welcome but also a useful addition." Chan considers, "He could take lessons from Johnny, too. Who knows, maybe he will even find a way to go back to his time and we worried for nothing."

Woojin listens to him, but once he's done he snorts loudly, "Very good, very good. Remember that and save it for later, when you have to convince Minho."

"He'd probably be the only one opposed to it, wouldn't he?" Chan sighs.

"He would find something to nag about for sure." Woojin takes a few seconds to think, "Hyunjin might be another challenge."

He considers this for a little, before shaking his head, "Hyunjin has grown up, ever since we've taken Seungmin in. It's true, he's sensitive when it comes to new people but... I think that he knows what the right thing to do turns out to be."

\--*--

Unfortunately, it turns out that Chan might have been a little too optimistic. Mostly, because, right now, they're standing in front of their coven, both having a hand on Jeongin's shoulders and Hyunjin is the first to start whining.

"No." he says for the hundredth time, "You guys must see how dumb that is. He just comes out of literally nowhere and you decide to adopt him? He could be lying! Maybe, he's been sent by one of Chan's old war enemies, to kill all of us."

Jeongin lifts his hand, "I'm right here, you know."

"Besides", Hyunjin continues, as if he hadn't heard a thing, "Where do you even want to put him, huh? Seungmin sleeps on the COUCH, Chan. I have to share a room with Jisung. God knows, no one will share a room with Minho and Felix's room is tiny enough for even one person."

Felix lifts a finger, "Actually-"

"And don't even get me started on the whole demon thing." There seems to be no end to Hyunjin's words, "I get it – you feel butt hurt that we're 'incomplete'" he makes quotation marks with his fingers, "as a coven, just because we don't have a machine of evil, like Johnny Seo. But for real Chan, I thought you guys had some standards."

"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Jisung frowns at his witch.

Hyunjin shrugs, "He can barely control the demons he's dealing with. Satan knows what kind of chaos could unfold, if he gets to explore this shit more than he already has."

"He would be supervised by Johnny." Minho shrugs, "I don't see a problem in that."

"Seriously?" Hyunjin gapes at the elder, "I thought you'd be on my side with this."

The animalist rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his hair, "It's true, I'm not too fond of even more children in this house. Especially, since I literally can't escape them. But, think about the kid's situation, Hyunjin. If you were in his place, wouldn't you be shitting your pants right now?"

"It's actually not that bad." Jeongin throws in, but again, his words drown out in the discussion of the others.

"I think we should take him in." Felix says, from his place at the chimney, "The house is huge. We will find SOMEWHERE to have him sleep. And, as much as I admire your creativity, Hyunjin, the thought of him being a spy or a hitman is a little much."

"Don't say I didn't warn you when it happens." Hyunjin points a finger at the white witch.

Felix shakes his head, then he looks into the circle of their coven, "I, for my part, would be happy to share my room if it comes down to it. I will not, however, just set him out on the streets with nowhere to go."

"I second that." Woojin says, his hand tightening a little on Jeongin's shoulder.

"Just because I'm Hyunjin's familiar doesn't mean I'm an asshole, too, so I third that." Jisung grins.

Hyunjin gives him a poisonous side-eye, "Shut up, you don't even have a vote."

"Why not? I'm part of the coven."

"But you're supposed to agree with me."

"And you are supposed to be nice to me. How did that work out for us?"

Chan intercepts, before the discussion can escalate: "We're a family and a democracy, so this decision will only be made with an agreement of one voice. Seungmin, you haven't said anything yet, what do you think?"

Seungmin straightens up in his place on the loveseat, "I remember what it's like to be alone and without a path to go." he says carefully, "Joining this coven was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. With no doubt, I do not wish a similar feeling on anyone else. I'll share the couch, if I have to."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Jeongin says, with a stiff smile.

"That leaves two open votes." Woojin says, "Minho?"

Minho takes a deep breath, his broad chest expanding with the action. His eyes fix Jeongin with a scrutinizing and dangerous gaze, but to Chan's surprise Jeongin only swallows and straightens up. At least the kid got some guts. Either that or he is just stupid.

"You all know how I feel about noise and people." Minho says, then, "So, I trust you with the responsibility of keeping him quiet." The coven stares at him and Minho rolls his eyes, "That means 'yes'."

At once, all eyes in the room are on Hyunjin. The green witch is obviously unamused by the way things have turned out so far. He has that typical face, Chan has grown to recognize. He had worn it, when they had had the discussion about getting a familiar. It means that his mind is set and just his pride is enough to never convince him ever. However, just when Chan thinks he'll have to convince the young man again, something unexpected happens: Seungmin rises from his seat and walks over to where the other boy sits on the couch. Hyunjin seems to be just as surprised with the turn of events and looks at Seungmin with wide eyes.

With a gentle smile, Seungmin pulls his gloves off and takes Hyunjin's hand. The other hand goes straight to cup his cheek, "The two of us are like brothers Hyunjin. Some days I even forget we're not blood-related." Chan can see that Hyunjin is trying to look away, but Seungmin won't have it, "I would protect you with my life and you would do the same, right?"

"Of course. You know that." Hyunjin whispers and the sorrow is clearly written on his face.

"Remember where I came from Jinnie." Seungmin says, "I was a stranger, too. I was an intruder – someone you didn't want in your coven. But you were generous. You let me be a part of your family and we grew close. We became brothers. It made us stronger."

"Stop." Hyunjin whispers, but it's too weak for Seungmin to listen.

"He is who I used to be." With that, Seungmin throws the last stone, "Imagine what would have happened if you would have said 'no' to me. Imagine what could happen to him, if you do."

Hyunjin's eyes close at that. He looks like a bullet had been shot right into his chest. His hand comes up to cover Seungmin's and he pecks the black skin there. Then, he pulls the boy into a tight embrace, face disappearing in the safety of his chest. They remain like this for a while and Chan can't help but feel for Woojin's hand at the sight. It touches him, to see how close his coven had grown. How sincere they are to each other. How true Seungmin's words are. How much they had all grown in the last years.

Gently pushing Seungmin away, Hyunjin jumps to his feet and says: "He will not sleep in my room. Jisung is enough as it is."

Then, he storms out of the living room. Chan walks over to Seungmin and runs a hand through his hair. He tucks the boy's head under his chin and places a soft kiss on his forehead. When they separate Seungmin gives him a tiny smile and pulls his gloves back on. Chan watches Felix wrap the boy up in a tight hug as well, mumbling a tiny 'thank you' into his neck. Even Minho comes over to give Seungmin a tight squeeze.

"That was so cute." Jeongin says from his spot, "I almost started crying."

Jisung laughs and walks over to him, pulling him into his arms, "No need to cry, bro. You're officially part of the Kim coven now. Ain't that a reason to celebrate?"

"Before we celebrate." Minho crosses his arms, "there is still one problem to be solved: Where does he sleep?"

"I'm still happy to share my room." Felix says with a shrug.

"Can't he just stay on the third floor?" Jisung asks.

"No." Woojin, Chan and Minho say in unison. Seeing Jisung's perplexed face, Chan explains: "No one except for the three of us goes to the third floor. Capisce?"

Jisung's look makes Chan feel even more relieved that they put a lock on the third floor, "Whatever you say."

"I might actually have an idea." Woojin says then, "Jeongin, how do you feel about hammocks and heights?"

\--*--

"This is probably the worst and best idea, you've ever had." Chan mumbles and cranes his neck to look up.

About five metres in the air, a hammock has been secured. It dangles between their chandelier and the railing of their spiral staircase. A disaster and yet, Chan thinks he has never seen anyone look as happy about anything, as Jeongin looks right now. Seungmin and Minho stand at the bottom of the staircase, carefully watching the happenings above. Felix has a hand on Jeongin's waist, where the youngest tries to climb the hammock without falling into his death. Hopefully, with time, it'll become easier for him. Maybe they could build some kind of plank, from the staircase to the hammock?

"I love this." Jeongin yells, after he finally fell into the fabric of his hammock. It looks stable enough, "I'll never bother anyone. I'll just stay in here."

Minho's face looks like he had just bitten into a lemon, "I know what I said, but thinking about wiping his remains off the floor, if he falls, makes that whole thing a lot less funny."

"It's going to be fine." Woojin waves him off, "Worst comes to worst, we still have Felix to patch him up."

"I hope I just misheard you there, because I'm barely able to fix a paper cut." Felix yells from atop the stairs.

A shadow hushes over his shoulder and a second later, a squirrel jumps onto Jeongin's chest, causing the hammock to sway softly. At first, there is just a thick cloud of colourful dust emitting from the little creature and then, there is a whole-ass Jisung on top of their new demonologist. The chandelier groans under the weight, but apart from that, it seems fine.

Chan turns to Woojin and cups his face, giving him a soft peck, "You're a genius. A manic one, but a genius."

"Lies in the family." Woojin grins and wraps his arm around Chan's waist.

Just, when he is about to lean in again, their doorbell echoes through the house. Chan lifts a brow at Woojin, but the green witch just shrugs and lets him go. Hurrying to the entrance door, Chan can tell who stands behind the milky window of their door, just from the gigantic shadow they make.

"Johnny." he greets with a smile, once the door is open, "nice seeing you in, uh, daylight. How can I help you?"

The tall man holds out a purple, silken bag, just big enough to fill Chan's outstretched hands, "I took care of the demon. Unless it is being summoned, (which I hope everyone is smart enough to avoid doing) it won't have a chance of finding Jeongin or any of your coven's members. Just in case though, I made these for you."

Chan frowns at the satchel and pulls out one of the items inside; It's a pentagram. Golden and light between his fingers. A small stone has been placed in the middle. When he looks back into the satchel, there are another seven of the same model. He looks back up at Johnny.

"Always wear them, if possible. There are still some demons on the run, from Jeongin's little disaster and you never know what their motives could be."

"So, Azazel is out of the way?" Chan asks.

"Sort of." Johnny nods, "He's... confused. Let's phrase it like that. But sleep sound, knowing that the most dangerous fellow is moved out of your circle."

Chan heaves a sigh of relief, "Thank you Johnny. You really helped us. If there is ever anything you need assistance with, don't hesitate to ask us."

"I do have something in mind, actually." Johnny adjusts his coat, "It's more of a favour on both sides, to be honest. See, there is not much to do in a village like this. The last night has reminded me of my rather dull daily schedule."

"Do you want Minho to dance for you? He has a pole somewhere." Chan asks.

Johnny stops short, his eyebrows creasing together until they almost touch, "Uhm, no thank you. I actually wanted to ask if you'd allow me to tutor Jeongin."

Chan's eyes widen, "You would do that?"

"I'd like to avoid getting my family involved with danger like this again and I can only bet you feel similar about that." Johnny says, "The most secure way to accomplish that is for Jeongin to learn how to control his magical abilities. Trust me, a competent demonologist is so much more convenient than a foolish one."

Nodding to himself, an excited smile blooms on Chan's lips, "Okay!"

"Perfect, tell him to come to Moon's pharmacy at four on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays."

"Will do." With a wave, Chan watches Johnny walk back down the tiny trail from their front door, down to the main street.

He really sticks out in the most hilarious way, with his looming height and unmistakeable, dark aura. Maybe, Chan had been too harsh on the demonologist. After all, Johnny had gone to lengths that were out of his responsibility, just to protect them. He realizes then: Powers don't make the people. The people make the powers. With a pleased lightness in his chest, Chan resolves to remember that, the next time he is confronted with another witch he's not familiar with.

When he walks back into their house, Woojin and Minho have already settled down in the kitchen and the kids are somewhere in the backyard, showing Jeongin around. Chan plonks himself on the bench, next to Minho. The animalist has his nose deep in a newspaper and seems to have blocked out the entire world. Without any other entertainment, Chan resorts to watching Woojin pluck a bunch of rosemary from their stash. For dinner, he assumes. He gets up again and wraps his arms around Woojin's waist, his chin tucked over one broad shoulder.

"How about I give you a hand with dinner, hm?" He proposes, "A cooking-date session."

"Sounds like the start of some of my favourite dreams." Woojin hums, a sly grin on his lips.

Chan bites his lip and flattens his palms against Woojin's hard stomach, "Hm, I bet I have an idea how they continue."

"I'm just sitting here, minding my own business", Minho slaps the newspaper on the wooden table, "and then you guys decide to be disgusting, right in front of me? Seriously, who hurt you?"

"I think you need some action, to get that stick out of your butt, Lino." Chan says, snatching one of the grapes from their stash.

"That is a great idea!" Minho cheers, voice exaggerated with sarcasm, "All I have to do is wait until someone coincidentally walks in here and takes me to bed. There was a fantastic man at our doorstep, but you didn't even invite him in, shame on you Chan. Shame on you and your foul manners."

Woojin snorts, "Is he talking about Johnny?"

"You can not tell me that Seo Johnny is not one fine piece of man candy." Minho points a frustrated finger at the green witch.

"I just didn't think he was your type." Woojin shrugs, "he's so... tall."

"I think I will go do anything except stay and listen to this conversation." Chan decides and pats Woojin's butt, "looks like the cooking date will have to be postponed."

"Coward." Minho throws in, "You just don't want to admit how hot Taeil's entire coven is, because your man is in the room."

"Don't let him hear you." Chan whisper-shouts.

With that conversation behind him, Chan hurries to escape out of the kitchen. He still needs to get a blanket and a pillow for Jeongin, so he climbs the stairs, to Minho's room. For whatever reason the animalist likes to keep a whole mountain of pillows around his room, so many in fact, that he probably wouldn't notice one or two missing. However, just when Chan reaches the first floor, a soft humming echoes against his ear. He stops and listens, a small smile creeping to his lips.

All thoughts of the pillows are forgotten in an instant and he climbs another set of stairs, until he stands in the corridor of the second floor. Hyunjin's and Jisung's door is slightly ajar and Chan can definitely hear the humming sound a little louder now. Barely does he ever listen to the radio, except for Woojin's cursed taste in old Jazz music, but this song is more than familiar. Chan knows that Hyunjin's father used to sing it to him, when he was very small. One of the rare moments he remembers from before they had died.

"Wake up to the sound of your fleeting heart. When you go, what you leave is a work of art. On my chest, on my heart." When Chan steps into the doorway, Hyunjin's head whips up and his words die on his tongue.

Chan manages a shy smile, "I like when you sing. It doesn't happen often enough."

Hyunjin huffs a laugh and leans back against his bedframe. There is a box on his lap, filled with other things Chan recognizes from his parents. The only thing missing now, is an old baseball cap. Somehow that brings warmth to his heart and he hopes Hyunjin feels the same by now. With slow steps, he approaches the young green witch and finally falls onto the foot of his mattress. Hyunjin's eyes are fixed on a photograph. Chan doesn't look too close, but he can only guess it's the one of his parents; yellowed on the edges and wearing a little tear at one of the corners.

"I'm sorry I acted the way I did." Hyunjin then whispers.

Chan looks up at him in surprise. He had expected a lot, but not this, "Don't apologize Jinnie. We all know you didn't do it just to be mean."

"I just…" he sighs and looks down at his palms in defeat, "This coven is everything to me. You guys are my everything. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you."

Chan feels his chest contract at that, suddenly his heart doesn´t seem to have enough space anymore, "Jinnie… there is so much more to a family than protecting them. You have to trust us. With making the right decisions and being able to protect you as much as you protect us."

"I know, I know. But after my parents", he stops short for a moment, "Chan, ever since they died I´m scared if I open my palms just a little, everyone is going to slip through my fingers like they did. It´s so terrifying that someone can just disappear in the blink of an eye."

Chan looks at him for a moment, then he spreads his arms out, "Come here." The green witch sniffs and pushes the box out of the way, to crawl into Chan´s lap. He feels the younger´s heartbeat against his own chest and he waits, until they start to match. Then, he cups Hyunjin´s face with his hands, gently guiding him to look at Chan, "None of us will ever disappear, I promise you. We´ll never leave you alone with your darkness, as much as you will never let us alone, hm? Everyone is strong in this coven, but together we´re undefeatable. Together, we will always find a solution to everything. That´s what family means, dear. It´s a two way street."

Hyunjin´s shoulders drop and a tiny smile spreads on his lips, before he nods, "Yeah. Yeah, you´re right."

"I know I am. That´s a thing about being old." Hyunjin snorts and wraps Chan up in a tight hug again, "You´ll give him a chance right?"

"Yes." Hyunjin whispers into the crook of his neck.

"Oh man, you´re doing a cuddle session without me, seriously?" They both whip their heads around, to find Jisung pouting in the doorway, "Yet, I am considered the fluffiest being in this household. With Minho being a close second."

Chan rolls his eyes, "Then what are you waiting for?"

With a wicked grin, Jisung transforms into his lynx-form and jumps onto the bed. They wrap their arms around him and Chan has to keep himself from laughing, over how happy Hyunjin looks. He has Jisung´s head under his chin, holding onto the giant creature like a stuffed animal. Chan half expects Jisung to growl and pull away, but the familiar simply huffs and falls into Hyunjin´s embrace. Who would have thought that these two had been sworn enemies just a few days ago?

"I´ll leave you to it, then." Chan says and gets up from the bed, "I got my own bear to cuddle."

"Disgusting, we don´t want to know about your honeymoon escapades!" Felix calls from the hallway and Hyunjin starts laughing brightly.

Chan throws him a desperate look, "I didn´t even- you know what? Never mind."

With that and a chuckle bubbling in his stomach, Chan climbs down the staircase to the first floor. Jeongin and Seungmin are seated on Jeongin´s hammock and Chan can definitely see them both aweing over Seungmin´s potion book collection. He meets Jeongin´s eye, as he passes and the demonologist throws him the happiest grin he has ever seen. If Chan had had any single piece of doubt left, by then it would have dissipated. He winks at the boy and continues his journey to the ground floor.

At the western end of the house, right through a door in the living room, he reaches Woojin´s plant house. The afternoon sun is glistening through the glass roof and makes the sheer jungle in the house look otherworldly. He eyes some of the plants he had potted himself, pleased with the progress they´re making. Not surprising, really. Woojin has the greenest thumb in the entire world. Dodging a couple of pots that hang from the ceiling and taking a huge curve around the meat-eating giant plant, Chan finally finds his lover in the back of the plant house.

He´s busy tending to a couple of big, vanilla orchids. His hands ghost around the petals, making them shine with health and grow ever so slightly under his touch. It´s the most beautiful sort of magic Chan knows. He could never get tired of seeing it.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour. I got Minho watching the pot." Woojin says with a tiny smile.

Chan helps him pluck some of the fully developed vanilla from the stems and put them in a bucket, "I talked to Hyunjin. Woo, I swear I feel like the luckiest parent in the world."

Woojin laughs, "You´re a born Dad Channie."

"Shut up. You´re a born Mom." Chan responds with no bite.

"If that means I get to spend my life with you, I´ll take it." A blush takes over Chan´s cheeks and he stops mid-plucking.

Giving into the temptation, he gives Woojin a deep kiss, "I love you."

"I love you more."

"Let´s always stay like this."

Woojin lifts a brow, "In the plant house? It gets hot as hell in the summer, just a heads-up."

"Not the plant house you fool." Chan hits his chest gently, "You, me and the kids. Our coven. Our home."

"Now, that sounds like a plan I can work with."

**Author's Note:**

> So how do you feel about our new member? Jeongin sure is a wonderful addition and Woochan have my whole heart (*≧ω≦*) Also how did you like a glimpse into the Moon-coven? ( 〃▽〃) 
> 
> Let me know what you are interested in learning more about this universe! Also feel free to tell me what you liked or maybe disliked, I´m always open for constructive critisicm <3 
> 
> If you have any questions or just wanna chat with me, hit me up on [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/putputpotato) or [ Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/putputpotato/)
> 
> Until the next time everyone! I love u sooo much!! <3<3 ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ
> 
> PS: In case you were wondering what song Hyunjin was singing, it was [ Featherstone ](https://open.spotify.com/track/45p0MAVey0dnjZXo8kMUzh?si=WdyWivecS8S34GRhh3fBkA) by the Paper Kites <3


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